Microwave ovens presently in use may employ various data entry mechanisms to input data into the thermal process stream or oven control mechanism. These data entry mechanisms may be electrical and mechanical keyboards, card readers, light pens, wands, radio frequency detectors, or the like. The data may be transmitted to a controller of the thermal process stream. The implementation of the data results in a specimen within the oven receiving energy to heat the specimen to some desired temperature.
A microwave oven may employ an interpretive language architecture for the seamless transfer of energy to the specimen through a physical, chemical, or thermodynamic process stream of the oven, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,198,975. The interpretive language architecture may receive an indicia, such as an externally derived and predetermined code, through the data entry mechanism. The indicia or code may be disposed on the surface of the specimen or food package to be heated, and entered or scanned by an end user through the data entry mechanism, for example. The interpretive system interprets the indicia or code and transforms it into user-independent commands. The user-independent commands enable the thermal process stream of the host microwave oven to function over a wide but controlled range of energy transfer to the specimen.
Such microwave ovens may be capable of operating in multiple operating modes, such as a traditional standard operating mode and an interpretive language architecture operating mode, as described above. A problem can arise, however, if a user effects data entry through the data entry mechanism thinking that one mode was enabled whereas, in reality, a different operating mode was enabled. For example, when the data entry mechanism is utilized to communicate a simple numeric code to the microwave oven for processing in the interpretive language architecture mode, failure to first identify the forthcoming data as intended to be directed to the interpretive system can result in the data being perceived by the thermal process stream or microwave oven as standard input, such as an operating time at full power. This can result in a thermal process operation far beyond that intended by the end user for the host or microwave oven, and may result in fire, physical property damage, end-user burns and injury, or death.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the disclosure made herein is presented.